Legacy
by The Phoenixes Fire
Summary: He thought he had destroyed the threat. But the legacy had been passed down onto the next generation. Now he will do everything in his power to destroy this threat. Even if it means taking down millions of lives to do it.
1. Chapter 1

_**Opening**_

The whole ship shook as it continued to fall apart. Screams from outside the door sounded, startling the young girl. She whimpered and buried her face in the boy's shoulder. He glanced down at her and wrapped his arms around her. He didn't try to comfort her; there was no way to comfort her.

Across the room two figures stood a few feet apart, weapons drawn. One of them was breathing heavily while the other hadn't even broken a sweat.

He let his eyes drift around the room. This place was coming apart with them inside. The man across from him could have cared less if all of them died, as long as the legacy was broken. As long as _they_ were taken out of the picture. He would not let that happen.

Both combatants tensed, ready to finish this. They were about to lunge at each other when suddenly the ground behind him fell away, followed by a scream. The man dove for the edge of the hole without hesitation and caught an outstretched hand. He let go of his weapon and held onto the boy's hand with both. Terrified crimson orbs looked up at him.

"Hang on." He said, slowly standing up and trying to pull the boy back up to solid ground. He didn't hear the footsteps running up behind him, and he didn't sense the danger he was in. A second pair of footsteps and then someone wrapped their arms around him.

A fierce yell sounded from one of the corners of the room along with the sound of metal smacking against something, hard. At the same time a muffled scream came from the person behind him, the one hugging him.

He froze, eyes widening in horror. _What just happened?_

His whole world went silent, time slowed to a stop.

He knew that voice. One by one the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

He turned his head and looked over his shoulder.

Their eyes met. His horrified, hers anguished but content with the results of her actions.

Time abruptly resumed and the arms around him disappeared, followed by a muffled thud.

"NO!"

Xxx

Muwhahahahaha!

I'm ba-ack! With a new opener for the story. This used to be the story formally called 'Being in charge isn't always a good thing' …I still can't figure out why I named it that.

Yeah well anyway I'll try my best to keep up a steady pace and not mess up this time.

Now the most important thing I have to say…

REVIEW

I don't care if you're anonymous or not. Even of you just say something like

Good job

Seriously. Just review. ...Though I can't figure out if the anonymous filter thing is on yet.

Oh and chapters will vary in length. Sometimes drabble size other times chapter size.

That is all.

...Still can't break the habit. ;)


	2. Chapter 2

Rustle

An irritable growl then, "Idiotic goggles…" He quickly rummaged through the duffel bag in annoyance. "Where are they? I'm sure they were here…Ah! There they are." He snatched up the goggles and put them on, grumbling to himself.

Snap!

"Ouch!" He blinked, opening his eyes to a red tinted world. His frown returned and he rubbed at the skin around his eyes. "Its just so…" He looked around the room in frustration. "…Stupid."

It was stupid. Simple.

Was it a law that you had to wear these stupid red tinted goggles? Of course he wouldn't know that, but still.

He zipped up the bag and threw it under his cot with more aggression then needed. The bag hit the wall with a thud.

He glared at the spot where it had disappeared. He eventually broke his gaze from the spot and sat down on the floor, arms hanging limply on his lap.

"…Just doesn't feel right." He muttered to himself, glaring at the floor. He hadn't asked for this. He had had no desire to join in the fight in _another_ war. He could have cared less if he had watched that damn orphanage for life.

But no.

She had to come along and ruin it all. Out of all the kids in that wretched place she just had to pick them. Sure he hadn't been very civilized about the whole thing…but she hadn't been either!

Xxx

Three days ago

Yawning he rubbed at his eyes tiredly. Summer had come along and with it wonderful warm weather. He yawned again and leaned back against the tree, smiling to himself.

Down below the caretakers had let the kids out to enjoy the weather. They ran and played with each other in packs. The biggest pack was playing a game that involved sitting in a circle, tapping someone on the head, and then running around and around…

"Their games are so…strange." He said out loud as he watched them continue the game.

One of the smallest packs consisted of only four members. Two boys, one girl and a small white ferret like creature. He compared the small pack to the big pack.

Unlike the other pack the three children were playing a game that he knew well.

"Are you ready?" One of the boys questioned. He held a small black ball that he passed to the girl who in turn passed it to the other boy.

The two children nodded. The ball came back to the first boy but instead of passing it on again he dropped it to the ground and kicked it hard. It flew along the ground, coming to a stop a few yards away.

All three broke into a sprint for the ball, including the small white creature. It was dead even, but suddenly one of the boys pulled ahead of the others and snatched up the ball. He turned and grinned.

"State your ranks!" He shouted.

The little girl stretched out one of her arms and put her hand on her wrist. "Healer!"

The other boy grinned, put one wrist on top of the other and held them close to his chest, closed fists facing him. "Warrior!"

They waited in sudden silence as the first boy put the ball on the ground. They all took five steps back and waited, eyes trained on the ball.

The first boy put his right hand on his left shoulder and his left hand on his right elbow. "Rouge." As soon as the word left the first boys mouth, they all sprung for the ball.

The 'Warrior' was about to snatch up the ball when suddenly-

Dong! Dong! Dong!

He sat up with a start, rushing out of his interest in the game. Automatic instincts kicked in.

Surrounding area…

There. Near the edge of the Terra. About twelve skimmers were landing, diamond formation.

Insignia…

…It looked like…well he couldn't exactly say what it was yet. Threat…unknown.

Any signs of danger…

He scanned the sky.

No battleships standing by. Clear weather.

…Kids!

He looked back at the area where the three children were, but they weren't there. Panicking he was about to spring down the cliff face, but stopped short when he caught sight of them walking inside with the rest of the kids.

He waited until they were completely out of sight and the doors had been shut behind them, before looking back at the visitors. They were nearing the orphanage fast.

Something isn't quite right…

He stood up suddenly and raced for the cliff edge. The ground left his feet and he was free falling.

Half way down he turned and caught hold of the rock face, sticking like a spider. A few loose rocks and pebbles shook off and fell. He waited until he was sure no one had seen or heard him before continuing down.

Reaching the bottom he took off, darting through the shadows like a ghost. Looking up he found that the skimmers had reached the orphanage. The riders were just getting off their skimmers and walking for the entrance. A hooded figure led the pack forward at a brisk pace.

No! He couldn't have known about this place!

Adrenaline rushed through his veins as the situation turned for the worst. He ran with everything he had, desperation reaching max levels. He neared the pack rapidly, never stopping in his relentless pace to keep them away.

Everything went into slow motion as he ran for the leader. Angry screams and shouts arose and staves were raised as he neared. He ignored them all, throwing down a smoke bomb to hide his position. He could see the leader turn through the smoke, face hidden beneath a cloak.

_This ends today._

He tackled the person, both of them falling to the ground. He pinned the guy roughly, both wrists securely pinned above his head, and whipped out his dagger. He pressed it against the guy's throat, and leaned in close a scowl on his face.

"Any last words Kreven-

A gust of wind suddenly blew the hood off the person's head beneath him. Smoldering violet eyes burned into his shocked blue ones.

A red tint rushed onto his face as he came to a realization.

'He' was a 'she'…

He had no time to react as the girl beneath him suddenly kicked out her legs, pushing him off. She stood up and whipped out a staff, bringing it into a defensive position.

He stood up quickly and checked how much time he had to get out of there. The smoke was slowly starting to clear, but he still couldn't see any bodies.

He looked back at the girl, a red tint still coloring his cheeks.

How could I not see that it was a girl?!

He swallowed his embarrassment and sheathed his dagger. He didn't mean any harm to the person in front of him, so maybe if he showed that he wasn't going to fight…

"Look." He said, avoiding the girl's eyes. "I didn't know-I mean I thought you were someone else. I didn't mean to attack you."

The girl didn't budge. "You have no idea how many times I've heard that one."

The crystal blast came so fast he didn't have time to dodge it. The shot would have hit him smack dab in the face, but thanks to the smoke her aim was off. It grazed by his cheek, leaving a rather large gash in its place.

He yelped, his delayed reaction moving him to the side.

What kind of crystal is that?!

His momentary shock passed over to anger. "I said I was sorry!"

A sudden blur of motion, a sharp pain in his chest, and then…the sky? It took his brain a few seconds to catch up with what was happening. Catching sight of the staff brought him to the situation.

He was lying on the ground, flat on his back. The smoke was almost gone, and he could see the other people. The staff was pressed against his chest. And above all this, one fiercely pissed off girl.

…_Why does this always happen to me?_

He glared up at the girl defiantly, trying to get up. She only pushed down on him harder. "Don't. Move."

"Who do you think you are!" He yelled, finally losing his patience. "Just because some guy comes out of nowhere and attacks you doesn't give you the right to…well it does, but still!"

The girl smirked down at him. "Well I think I'm Master Cyclonis herself."

She's Master Cyclonis!?

Groaning he let his head fall back on the ground. "I picked the wrong person to mess with."

The smoke was now completely gone and the talons were surrounding them. His dagger had fallen out of its sheath and lay out of reach.

There was no way out this time.

…Or so he thought.

_**Chomp!**_

Master Cyclonis stepped back and yelled. Not caring at the moment, just glad to have the staff off, he jumped up and grabbed his dagger. Sheathing it, he barreled past one of the guards and disappeared in the woods.

Xxx

It was a few hours later and everything had calmed down. He had finally made his way back to his perch after hours of evading talons.

Groaning he dropped to his knees and laid down flat on his stomach. He was covered head to toe with cuts and bruises, thanks to the many tree branches and talons he had to fight.

Sure they had horrible fighting skills, but if more then four ganged up on him…well he found his survival rate falling at a scary pace.

The girl, or as he now knew as Master Cyclonis, had long ago disappeared into the orphanage. Good thing or bad, he could have cared less. Night was descending and more then once he could swear he heard footsteps approaching.

Sighing he curled himself into a ball at the trees base, praying for sleep to come. He was exhausted and wanted this day to end.

He slowly drifted off.

Xxx

"Promise me!"

_The ship gave another lurch to the side, followed by a loud banging noise. His eyes widened as he figured out the sound. _

_Footfalls._

_Hundreds of footfalls banging against the deck._

_The man in front of him gave him another shake, snapping him back to attention. "Lucas promise me you'll do this!"_

"_But what about you and the others? I can't just leave!"_

"_You have to. You two need to get out of here as fast as you can!"_

_Lucas glanced at the small boy next to him. "But we can beat them! We always pull out in the end!"_

"_Not this time." The man gave an anxious glance at the ceiling. "You need to go!!" _

_Lucas stared at him incredulously. "Wha-_

_The man settled his penetrating gaze on him. "That's an order Lucas." Turning he took off down the hall._

_Lucas shook his head. Turning he grabbed the boy by the arm and took off running._

"_Where are we going?!" The boy shouted, glancing over his shoulder._

"_We're getting out of here."_

"_What? No!" The boy wrestled out of Lucas's grip and took off in the direction the man had disappeared. _

"_Wait!" Lucas yelled, running after him. He was about to grab onto the boy's shoulder when the ship gave a mighty lurch to the side. He lost his footing and collided with the wall, banging his head. _

_He looked up blearily at the form of the boy, getting smaller and smaller…_

Xxx

SCREECH!

He opened his eyes with a start, the images of his dream retreating to the back of his mind. Pushing himself up he walked over to the edge of the cliff.

It looked like Master Cyclonis was done with her mission, or whatever she was doing here. He watched as the skimmers raced for the edge of the terra, with little interest.

…Until he saw who was riding them.

Three of the skimmers now held an extra rider, three small riders. His eyes widened in horror at what it meant.

"No!"

Before he could take a step the skimmers had gotten up into the air. He stared stunned as they disappeared behind some clouds.

No, no, no, no, no!

That was it. His entire mission, his promise! It just went up in flames.

He sank to his knees, head in his hands.

_This can't be happening. How could she just come and take them away?! Out of all of them she picked those three. _

He looked up at the sky, blue eyes smoldering.

Standing up he shouldered his pack and walked over to his skimmer. Getting on he took a last look at the orphanage, a building he had watched for what seemed like forever.

He revved the engine and took off into the star-studded sky.

I'm not giving up that easily. If keeping them safe means taking down Master Cyclonis herself…

He unsheathed his blade and examined the sharp edge.

_Then so be it._

Xxx

Of course it hadn't come to anything that drastic…yet.

Master Cyclonis had taken the kids that was the only problem he had with her. But hey one man couldn't storm Cyclonia. So…he had joined them.

Which led him to his current position.

He had already been fighting in a war…joining another one didn't seem right. But it was the only option he had left.

So now?

Now he was a nameless talon. One out of hundreds. He followed the rules.

He bowed in respect when Master Cyclonis passed, always being careful to hide his face.

The gash she had given him had turned into a scar. If she saw it, she would know who he was.

Execution no doubt.

He was nameless.

He was no one.

He had _no _identity whatsoever.

But he did have something. Something that kept him going.

A promise.

A promise he had made to his best friend. A promise he was going to keep.

No matter what.

Xxx

Hmmm…the end seemed a bit rushed to me.

Oh well.

Sorry it took so long guys.

Oh and one more thing

Jason's loose! RUN!

Ever notice that no matter how fast the people run,Jason (Who stalks them all creepy like) _always _catches them?

Okay yeah that's it.

Review!


	3. Chapter 3

**_Snake_**

Master Cyclonis sat and thought. Or, to someone else in the room, brooded. There was never a clear way to tell if the master was happy or pleased. She hid all of her emotions and thoughts behind a carefully crafted mask. She got it from her father most said. The ability to be in control of a situation and not flinch when something went not according to plan.

In this way, she hid herself. From the world, from people, sometimes even from herself. The girl behind the mask, no one knew her. Didn't even bother to look for her.

A talon standing in the corner of the room shifted slightly, drawing her attention immediately. Violet eyes, dark and boundless, snapped over to him. The talon, she noticed, stiffened immediately and backed against the wall staff shifting ever so slightly towards her.

_Interesting reaction, I'd say._

"Go retrieve my commanders." She said, eyes not leaving the talon. The talon in turn had kept his gaze on her the whole time as well, proving an interesting fact to her.

Everyone knew to never keep your gaze connected with the master for a long period. It showed that you thought you were on equal ground with her, a massive sign of disrespect. And wouldn't a talon know this? Wouldn't someone who had already been told when being trained know not to do this?

The talon nodded and bowed slightly. She noticed the hesitation when he left the room. Already she knew that something was wrong.

XxX

"Reminds me of a snake, that look." Lucas muttered to himself. He walked swiftly, a feeling of thankfulness swirling around in his heart. The throne room was always dark; the master hadn't noticed the scar on his face. _But…_

That expression, that simple look of knowing on her face. He knew that she was watching him more carefully now for some reason. He'd known the moment he had first walked in the throne room.

That look…

He frowned and shook his head, casting the clouded thoughts from his mind. He didn't want to think about it; he convinced himself that there was nothing to think about. A skill he picked up. Convincing yourself that what you think wasn't thought about in the first place.

He didn't want to remember his thoughts. Because they didn't make sense. Because they wouldn't help him whatsoever in his current situation…

And because he didn't know if it had been her or him that was watching the other.

XxX

Hey! Look! I updated! Yay! Heck I know it's a short chapter but it made sense to end it here. I might update again, just cuz I have more to type and stuff. So yeah. There you go! Sorry it took so long! Review!


	4. Chapter 4

_**Lecture**_

They were all summoned to the throne room at the same time, but somehow, got there at different times.

It could have been that Dark Ace walked rather briskly to the chamber and didn't stop along the way.

It could have been that Ravess walked at a more calm and collected speed then him.

Or it could have been that Snipe walked there rather slow, taking his time to get to the throne room.

Either way Dark Ace was the last to get there. He didn't show his surprise that Ravess or Snipe had gotten there first. He simply bowed and took up position next to Ravess.

…And then froze.

Master Cyclonis stood, smiling at them rather pleasantly.

The same thought ran through the three commanders heads. _'What on Atmos is going on?'_

Now it wasn't that the girl never smiled. It was that she never smiled like she was truly happy. There were the sadistic smirks, the small grins, and sometimes the menacing smiles that sent shivers down the talons spines; but never in their time there did they ever see her smile with outright happiness.

They all snapped to attention as she began to talk.

"Tell me something," She said, her grin fading to a curious expression. "What do you think of the talons?"

Their thoughts were once again the same. _'The talons?'_

She continued, now pacing back and forth in front of the throne. "To me they are brave men and women who have pledged their lives to Cyclonia." She stopped and sent a sharp glare their way. "But to you three they seem to be nothing but tools to be used." She nodded. "It makes some sense I suppose. You three are at a higher rank and given charge of them." She stopped pacing and turned toward them fully. "But that doesn't mean you can take advantage of them." Her words were heavy with venom. She walked down the steps and stood in front of Dark Ace.

The other two commanders were surprised to see him drop his gaze to the floor to avoid her penetrating stare.

"How many times has a talon saved you from a fall?" She questioned.

He flinched but replied, "Twice."

"And how do you repay them?" She didn't let him answer. "That's right. You push them off their ride and take pursuit of the current target." She sighed and shook her head. "Disappointing." She walked over to Ravess.

And like Dark Ace, Ravess found she could not meet her master's gaze.

"You have very excellent aim, if I do say so myself. Able to snap a rope holding a ship up from several feet away is very impressive. But tell me, if your aim is so great…how is it that you hit talons so easily and without care? Do you simply not care about anything but the enemy?" She put her hands on her hips. "Careless."

She now stalked over to stand before Snipe, his gaze already on the floor before she stood in front of him. "And you," she cooed. "One of the strongest men I have ever come to know, and yet, you can't seem to protect your talons from harm." She glared. "To intent on the battle that you don't even notice your men being taken down around you. Before you have a chance to even notice you're shot down thanks to no one being there to defend you." Cyclonis stalked to her throne. "Oblivious."

A heavy weight lay over the three commanders as they slowly brought their gazes back up to their master. Punishment no doubt, was in order. Instead, they were surprised to find that same smile upon her face. It was chilling…

"I would like you to come back to the throne room at midnight, when most children are tired and cranky." She smiled innocently. "Dismissed."

Three bodies bowed, three bodies slunk out of the throne room like newly lectured teenagers. They all went their separate ways, thoughts smoldering and the same.

_I can not believe that she called me a child!_

Xxx

Master Cyclonis watched them leave, pleasant smile still on her face. After the door shut she let the smile slowly slide off her face, leaving her with a curious expression. "They thought I was talking about them, didn't they?"

She let the question sit in the air for a few moments before turning her attention on a lone talon entering the throne room. Her eyes followed him as he returned to his post, and she was given more questions to ponder.

The talon's eyes had been with her the entire time he had been walking, never looking down or away. Instantly, a bond formed between them, and she looked up in realization.

He did not trust her. She did not trust him.

Returning her gaze to the floor in front of her she smiled, pretending not to notice him flinch.

He was afraid of her.

Her smile switched to a smirk.

She was the one to be afraid of.

At least, that much he understood.

Xxx

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. MAN. I haven't updated, reviewed, kept in contact with any one person for…a REALLY LOOOOOOOOOOONGGGGGGGGGG time. How pitiful of me, sorry 'bout that... *Sigh* to be honest the only reason I started typing again was thanks to a writer that put this story on 'STORY ALERT'.

So thank that person for getting this lazy writer back into the works. I mean, I'm seriously going to try and update again. Lately, I've just been working on my own stuff, but I can't seem to write anything in that area. So, I came back to fanfiction in order to get the writer gears moving in my brain again. Again, I'm really sorry for the long wait, and I promise that I'll try to keep my brain in a forward motion.

Ha ha. Anyway. The three commanders got Buuuuurrrned man. By someone they can't even fight back with. Ha...that's funny to me. Anyway, review. Oh yeah! One more thing. Back in the second chapter Lucas was saying "Any last words Ezekiel?" But I changed the name because over the summer a different oc named Ezekiel popped up and I can't have to characters named Ezekiel, one of them being a pirate and the other being completely different. So I changed his name to "Kreven." You prounounce it (KREE-VEN). And well, that's it. Sorry for the extremely long author note and review!


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